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Zahar Berkut

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Posts posted by Zahar Berkut

  1. So, I am sad to say that I received my last rejection today, and I have now gone 0 for 6. I knew in advance that there was a risk to applying to this number of (highly competitive) programs and I guessed where the weaknesses in my applications might be, but I believed I had a non-zero chance and I went for it. No regrets, and I am already planning for next year.

     

    The problem right now is thinking about how exactly to improve my application, and with so many variables in the admissions process, I do not feel I can completely/accurately asses it. So if there is anyone right now who is riding a wave of good will and would be willing to talk to me further-- especially comparative, but also IR-- please send me a PM.

     

    I bit more about myself: as an undergrad, I focused mainly on political theory, IR/security studies, and some IR theory, writing something like a senior thesis on classical, canonical IR thinkers. I spent a year abroad after finishing my BA in my region of interest, and followed up with a master's in area studies, where I wrote the equivalent of a thesis (the program was one year and did not formally support one) on an issue in political economy in the country I had lived over the prior year. There I took a few more comparative courses, before moving back to the region to work and improve my language skills. My undergrad department offered zero methodological training, so I consider that my main shortcoming. But it is also entirely possible that I don't know the comparative literature as well as I thought I did. I'll add more if anyone is willing to talk shop.

     

    I truly to congratulate everyone who did well this cycle, especially those who applied multiple cycles. And to those like myself who didn't get what we wanted the first time we asked for it-- let's keep on fighting!

  2. I remember I had to answer a second form with "supplementary information", but I honestly can't recall what was it about. 

     

    I recall that form asking applicants to check whether they are descendants of John Harvard, some military officer from Massachusetts, and/or other people who gave a lot of money to the university.

  3. Yeah, I'm really not sure. I just woke up to an update from UCLA (rejection). You aren't able to log in to your normal account to check the status. They sent me to a completely different site and I had to create a new password and log in with it. 

     

    Interesting, they seem to be doing it piecemeal and very slowly. Judging by the boards, most people have still probably heard nothing.

  4. Can we confirm that all Columbia acceptances are out? Someone mentioned that last year they did it in waves, but it also seems like there is a lot of green for just one wave. Has anyone checked with the dept on this?

     

    Someone posted in the results search "Emailed GSAS, "No decision has been recorded on your application. We expect that the faculty committee on admissions will return all Ph.D. decisions by early to mid March. You will be notified via email when a decision has been reached."

     

    This seems surprising to me, since they sent out so many acceptances, a few waitlists, and visitation info. Maybe there will be a second wave, but my best guess right now is to interpret this as "rejected, but not handling individual inquiries."

  5.  The only 'downside' is that if i do my MA at U of T then i can't do a PhD here (at least, it's not recommended to do 3 degrees at one school from what i hear) but i'm just getting ahead of myself here!

     

    I've heard mixed opinions on this, and while I understand the reasoning, I find it difficult to believe it applies as much to elite schools like Toronto, where I would expect any Canadian would be very happy to do three degrees-- and which people from everywhere else also view with great respect. That would be a good question to put to your professors, though, if you plan to continue to a PhD.

  6. Hi, thanks a lot. I have just received a reject from Duke, which makes a terrible beginning of the day. I know that you are an experienced applicant in this area. Do you know something about the international admission. I found that almost all the applicants are Americans and they give less admission to international applicants. Will my nationality be a shortcoming?

     

    Every program is different, but it seems unlikely that being an international student is itself a disadvantage (aside from the standard difficulties with interpreting a transcript from an unfamiliar university system). Many area studies programs use the FLAS grant that is only eligible to US citizens to recruit, and fairly consistently accept international students who either pay tuition themselves or are able to do so through a home government grant. My own master's program has almost always had at least one international student (in a very small cohort), and always receives international applications.

     

    So the short answer is, don't worry! I am very sorry about Duke, but if you have applied anywhere else, you still have a fair chance.

  7. Nope. I'm assuming my PoI pushing 70, and my wish to do mixed-methods ousted me. It's all good, though, as I would prefer UCSD to NYU anyway, since UCSD is a much better fit! You considering staying another 5 years in SD?

     

    I also made an explicit case for mixed methods in my application, and I simply assumed that there was a place for that at all or most top 20s, independent of a particular POI. Is the situation more complicated than I thought? Or are you saying here that you did not identify that POI who may be unavailable, but they inferred that individual through the rest of your app?

  8. I just received an 'acceptance e-mail' from the graduate coordinator at CERES (UofT) :D :D :D My first choice and first program to respond!! I actually did not apply to the U.S because i couldn't do the GRE so i only applied to two EE programs within Canada (there are not many) and applied to a few poli sci programs as well.

     

    Now i can stop worrying over reading week and focus on my midterms!!!

     

    So stoked because i really love the professors and the program at u of t (i'm doing my undergrad here, and i live nearby).

     

    я очень счастлива!!!

     

    As for my research interests, i'm interested in post-communist transitions within Russia (and a bit of ukraine as well i suppose!) although i haven't really narrowed it down to a specific aspect of its transition yet.

     

    Huge congrats! U of T is a wonderful school, and they have a great program there. You may feel quite drawn to Ukraine once you are there-- and that's a good thing. ;)

  9. Hello guys! Am I the only international applicants of the Russian and East European studies? I am a senior student who major in Russian and International economics in top universities in China. I am applying to Harvard, Yale, Stanford, Duke, Columbia, Michigan, Georgetown, NYU. I almost found no previous application or reference about Russian studies in Chinese forum , and that's why I turned to gradcafe. Is there anyone also applying 2014fall and has already received admission? I finished all my applications in Jan and has not heard from any school yet....Sad.....

     

    Welcome! I recommend checking the Results Search section of gradcafe and looking for your Russian/East European Studies programs. They all notify applicants at different times, but you should expect to hear back over the next few weeks.

  10. The 8ball says that I'm going to be shut out..

     

    I'm also having these worries, but I know rationally that no single program result can have much bearing on the likelihood of another outcome, and only half my programs have been exhausted. It is very worrying though. I took a big risk this cycle by only applying to highly competitive programs, and filtering my list based on places I believed I had very strong fit. So rejections just start a chain of second-guessing every single aspect of the application. If the worst case happens I'll at least attempt to ask for feedback from programs (I know many claim they won't provide that) but for now it's important to remember that it's not over till it's over.

     

    So chin up, and keep fighting.

  11. I wish this thread had more participants with whom I could commiserate! 

     

    Three of the four programs I applied to asked me to list my GRE scores in the FLAS application (oddly, KU did not and I do not know if they will pull the scores from my admissions app or not). My GRE scores are not great - my quantitative score is atrocious and AWA was subpar, which really surprised me (my VA was fine). I have other qualities that would make my app stand out, like a Fulbright to Georgia, but it is hard to know what is weighed in particular and what is not, so I worry. 

     

    I suppose I will just have to wait and see if a.) I get into other programs b.) if committees see past the low GREs at the rest of my record and consider me for FLAS and/or other funding opportunities.

     

    I am particularly interested in how Russia has shaped national and ethnic identity in the Caucasus from the Russian military campaigns of the 1840s-1860s, Soviet ethnic policy, and modern conflict. What about everyone else? 

     

    I'd be surprised if they weighed GRE scores heavily in the FLAS application. That's handled internally by each university, but from my experience, they usually have to put in a little effort to make sure they actually spend all the FLAS money they get in a given year. With regional studies programs it's possible there's some competition, but the FLAS is based more on the application's profile and trajectory than their numbers. The Fulbright will look very good in that regard, and your research interests sound great.

  12. Hey! I am applying to several schools in Russian and Eurasian Studies. I was pleasantly surprised to be accepted into KU's program (as in, I had no idea I would hear a decision so soon), but I am still waiting on the others.

     

    Does anyone know what the usual timeline is to hear back about FLAS?

     

    Congrats!

     

    Regarding FLAS, I believe different schools have different procedures, but my program was able to offer it along with the acceptance in mid-March (2011).

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